Product description

Acclaimed as one of the most exciting books in the history of American letters, this modern epic became an instant bestseller upon publication in 1974, transforming a generation and continuing to inspire millions. A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and his son, the book becomes a personal and philosophical odyssey into fundamental questions of how to live. Resonant with the confusions of existence, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a touching and transcendent book of life.

Author information

Robert M. Pirsig was born in 1928 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He holds degrees in chemistry, philosophy, and journalism and also studied Oriental philosophy at Benares Hindu University in India. He is the author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Lila.

Review quote

"Profoundly important...full of insights into our most perplexing contemporary dilemmas" New York Times "Mr Pirsig has written a work of great, perhaps urgent, importance... Read this book" Observer "The book is inspired, original...the narrative tact, the perfect economy of effect defy criticism. The analogies with Moby Dick are patent" New Yorker "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is an unforgettable trip" Time "Disturbing, deeply moving, full of insights...this is a wonderful book" Times Literary Supplement

Editorial reviews

A remarkable classic, at last back in print. It is not (of course) about motorcycle maintenance. It is a guide, a life support system, a novel, a philosophical treatise, an attempt to analyse life, an examination of the nature of space and time... all things to most men (and women). The archetypal mind-stretching book. (Kirkus UK)